November 21 - Kristin Allen, President of the Sandringham Historical Society, gave us an entertaining insight into some of the interesting characters of the past and places in our local area.
October 17 - Don Jones, comedian and raconteur, on "The Magic of Laughter". Don entertained our members with a light-hearted talk, laced with magical moments.
September 19 - Michael Jackson - Clinical Educator with Polio Australia. Michael gave a thought-provoking presentation on how the organisation supports survivors of polio, and educates clinicians and other health professionals on the signs of polio after-effects many years after apparent recovery.
August 15 - Dave Nicholson from Fire Rescue Victoria gave an entertaining and instructive presentation on fire safety for seniors, drawing on his long career as a fire-fighter, and his knowledge of the main causes of fires and loss in the home.
July 18 - Dr. Vicky Karalis - Sandringham Foreshore Association
Vicki brought to life the fascinating ancient natural history of our local fossil-rich foreshore - a mecca for fossil-hunters, and the world's only major fossil site located in an urban area. She brought in fossil samples from millions of years ago to illustrate her talk.
June 20 - Mark Collier - Southside Beekeepers' Association
Mark gave us a fascinating insight into the world of the honey bee, explaining life-cycle, types of hives, care and threats. He brought samples of various bee-keepers' equipment, and surprised us with the large number of hobbyist bee-keepers who have hives in suburban gardens and back-yards. A very informative presentation!
May 16 - Winston Marsh - Marketing Guru
Winston entertained us all with "Lies Our Mothers Told Us", using the old myths, such as "Eat your carrots - they're good for your eyesight", and "Eat your crusts - they make your hair curly", as starting points for discussion of mental barriers and how we can overcome them. Winston is an old hand at public speaking - very polished, engaging and amusing.
April 21 - Bruce Green - Golf Professional
At short notice, to replace a speaker who became unavailable, Bruce brought his affable personality, engaging wit and store of war stories from the professional golfing circuit to our appreciative audience. Because of his local history, it seemed that Bruce knew, had gone to school with, or otherwise connected with half the members in the room!
March 21, 2023
No speaker, due to AGM
February 21, 2023
As our scheduled guest speaker had to cancel at the last minute, Club President Ed Robins came to the rescue, presenting a concert of songs he has written, and playing his hand-made guitar, made of timbers milled by his grandfather in the Otway Ranges in the early 1900's.
December - January - No meetings
November 15 - Garry Tanner - Hudson Institute of Medical Research
Garry explained and illustrated the wide range of important medical research work that The Hudson Institute conducts at Monash University, with a particular focus on childhood diseases.
October 18 - Sheridyn Andrews - Regis Aged Care
Sheridyn gave us a very clear overview of the various options available in home-based and residential home care. She stressed the importance of early research and planning, to provide peace of mind and to minimise delays in accessing care when it is required.
September 20 - Dr. Gary Poole - Marine Biodiversity and Crustacea
Gary has a long involvement with the study of marine ecology, bio-diversity, and particularly crustacea, including the discovery and naming of several new species! A fresh perspective on what goes on under the oceans!
August 22 - Geoff Bransbury - By Motor-Bike Across South America
Geoff gave an entertaining talk, with lots of stunning photos, of his adventures travelling across the various countries and hazards of South America on his trusty motorbike.
July 2022 - Barbara Cohen - A Life
Club member Barbara has recently published a memoir of her life, and talked of the major events and changes she has lived through. She grew up in South Africa and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), experienced the difficult years leading to their independence, before migrating to Australia, living in Sydney then moving to Melbourne.
June 2022 - Maureen Boaler - Story Dogs
Maureen told us about the wonderfully effective outreach program that sees volunteers take their dogs into schools, where kids with reading and learning difficulties join with the volunteer to read stories to the affectionate and non-judgemental dogs.
May 2022 - Deb Williams - Stroke Foundation
Stroke survivor and Stroke Safe ambassador Deb Williams gave a a very informative and cautionary presentation about stroke, how to recognise and act to minimise harm. Her talk was illustrated with very personal accounts of her own journey through stroke at an early age, and subsequent rehabilitation and recovery.
April 2022 - Nathan Browne - Australian Wildlife Conservancy
AWC is the largest private owner and manager of land for conservation in Australia. Their mission is the effective conservation of all Australian native animal species and the habitats in which they live. Nathan gave us a fascinating and engaging insight to this important work.
March 2022 - No speaker, due to AGM being conducted.
February 2022 - Katharine Balson, Oz Harvest
Katherine was a passionate advocate for the vital activities of Oz Harvest, rescuing surplus food that would otherwise end up in landfill, cooking nutritious meals and delivering them to people in need. She was equally passionate about broader environmental issues, and gave an entertaining, interactive and engaging presentation.
December - January - No meetings
November 2021 - Suzy McKellar, Club Member
After many meeting cancellations due to Covid, Suzy gave a fantastic, saucy cabaret song and dance act, to the entertainment and delight of all present, most of whom were previously quite unaware of her terrific talents.
June - October meetings cancelled, due to Covid-19 restrictions.
May 18 2021 - Graeme Disney, Sandringham Yacht Club historian.
Graeme is a long-term local identity, with many tales to tell, but on this occasion he told us about the history and activities of his beloved Sandringham Yacht Club, the kind hosts of our Club meetings.
April 2021 - Sabine Ostrowski - MDA Foundation
Sabine gave us an engaging and informative presentation on that all-too-common affliction of the ageing, macular degeneration.
March 2021 - No speaker, due to AGM being conducted.
April 2020 - February 2021 - No meetings or speakers, due to Covid-19 restrictions
March 2020 - No speaker, due to AGM being conducted.
February 2020 - Carolyn Brown OAM, President, Friends of Black Rock House
Carolyn shared with us the fascinating history and ongoing activities of our local cultural icon, Black Rock House.
November 2019 - Craig Whiteford, General Manager Threatened Species, Wildlife Conservation and Science, at Zoos Victoria
Craig, who has had a distinguished career in managing biodiversity, water and natural resources before joining Zoos Victoria in his present role, gave us a fascinating presentation about Zoos Victoria's plans and actions around conservation and fighting extinction.
October 2019 - Jacqueline LeSage, member of our Sandy Bay club.
Jacqueline, who has a CV bursting with fascinating global assignments, talked about a cultural icon of her native France - the Tour de France. Her talk, entitled "Discover Le Tour de France as a French monument." was a fascinating insight into the history of the tour and its place in French cultural "branding".
September 2019 - Ambre Hammond - concert pianist and composer.
Ambre is celebrated for her "Girl, Piano, Truck" mission, taking music to disadvantaged communities in all parts of the world. She told a fascinating story of her journey from "child prodigy" to her full musical calendar of today.
August 2019 - Lynsey Poore - Royal Botanic Gardens gave us a richly-illustrated presentation about the past, present and future of the RBG, in her presentation "Beyond the Garden Gate".
July 2019 - Donald Forsdyke - Port of Melbourne gave us a fact-filled insight into the hive of activity and huge volumes of goods and materials that flow through our busy port.
June 2019 - Andrew Simpson -Maurice Blackburn Lawyers brought us the latest information on making wills, powers of attorney, and advance care directives. He presented an entertaining and informative talk on a complex and important topic for us all.
May 2019 - Carolyn Pethick gave us a gripping and thought-provoking talk about her story as a police-woman who served 30 years with Victoria Police, and her book "To Hell and Back".
April 2019 - Paul Maple, from the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance
Paul is a passionate advocate for the Shrine as a place of remembrance for the people who gave so much for their country. His talk and pictures inspired many members to plan to re-visit and re-discover this important part of our history.
March 2019 - no guest speaker, due to AGM
February 2019 - Anne Forwood, from Search and Rescue Dogs Australia (with her Operational Disaster Search Dog BB!)
Anne and BeeBee are partners in a select team of disaster search dog/handler specialists. They are highly trained and able to work anywhere in the world in such dangerous venues as earthquake zones and collapsed buildings. A fascinating insight into a world outside most of our experience.
November 2018 - Annette Allison from Royal Flying Doctor Service
In the 90th anniversary year of the RFDS, Marketing Manager Annette Allison gave a polished and fascinating presentation of the history and wide-ranging activities of this most Australian of organisations.
October 2018 - Paul Thomas from Melbourne Metro Rail Authority
Paul is a global expert on tunnelling for underground rail, and showed a wealth of information on current and planned rail tunnels in Melbourne.
September 2018 - Det. Sgt. Michael Ferwerda from Victoria Police, Crime Command, Clandestine Laboratory Squad
Michael gave a gripping insight into the world of policing the illicit drug trade.
August 2018: Robert Anderson, Golden Days Radio
A bright and entertaining presentation by an old hand at the radio game.
July 2018: Heather Sheard
Heather told us about the fascinating history of women Doctors in World War 1, and the challenges they faced in being accepted at the front lines of battle.
June 2018: Russell James
Local History Bayside: The Odd, Little Known and Unusual. Russell had a wealth of stories behind some of the locations, names and infamous past residents of our local area.
May 2018: Keith Bulfin
The War on Money. Keith Bulfin is an Australian author based in Melbourne. The former investment banker turned undercover DEA Agent, has written a novel based on his fascinating life working undercover. This was a gripping tale!
April 2018: Colin Watson, Victoria Police Air Wing Auxiliary
Colin gave an informative talk about his days with the Police Air Wing, and the ever-changing landscape of different government departments’ oversight, and the ongoing changes in technology and aircraft.
March 2018: No speaker (AGM)
February 2018: Rob "Smoky"Dawson, Puffing Billy tourist railway
Rob drew on his encyclopaedic knowledge of historic trains and tracks, and gave us a taste of what to expect on our March outing on the famous train.
November 2017: Greg Wragg OAM
Greg gave a very interesting talk about his interest and involvement in Fiji [which he has visited 83 times since 1979] and the philanthropic work he is engaged in, particularly in remote Fijian communities.
October 2017: No speaker
September 2017: Alison Wright, from RACV Lifestyle.
Alison talked about personal safety and home emergencies, including falls, plus security for vehicles and homes.
August 2017
Mary Murphy - Honorary Archivist for Her Majesty's Theatre
Mary gave a fascinating talk about the colourful history of Her Majesty's, and showed a film made by Mike Walsh to celebrate the theatre's 125th birthday in 2011.
July 2017
Belinda Collins - Author and Speaker
Belinda co-wrote Warrior Princess with Princess Kasune Zulu of Zambia, an MP and activist for tackling the AIDS / HIV pandemic in Africa. She told a moving story of Princess's work and their cooperation in advocating for change in this field.
June 2017
Don Cullen - Director, Tibetan Village Project Australia Inc.
Don's inspirational talk told of his experiences working with the poor of Tibet to provide schools, orphanages, medical clinics and other basic necessities of life.
May 2017
Rachel Lane - Principal, Aged Care Gurus
Rachel gave a very informative talk about the options, obligations and pitfalls of aged care accommodation and finances.
April 2017
John Deeks - Radio and Television Veteran
John gave an entertaining account of his life in the media, with many anecdotes from his 40 years in the business.
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